The Ricard pastis will be okay. In fact, there is nothing shameful in that at all. We kill a bottle of pastis every couple of months and our current bottle is Ricard.
Pastis was created as a sort of mock-Absinthe after the banning of said drink, and you drink it much the same way- about one part pastis to seven water. Sugar and/or flavoured syrups and ice optional.
A shame about that armagnac. I was hoping it was from a quality producer. It had a chance to be fabulous, dammit!
Five-to-one water-to-pastis is the more usual, but I’ve seen anything up to eight-to-one.
It’s a great, refreshing summertime drink, but you do have to like the taste of licorice/anise.
Maybe they drank all the good stuff?
Sadly, no. They just have no taste.
I guess the good news is I can save a bunch of space now..and fill a nice recycling bag with all these bottles.
Thanks for the help, everyone. I won’t let my parents know what the consensus was. 
-D/a